


Here to steal your heart (and maybe some other things too)

by Need_To_Comment_Rising



Series: Mafia AU [1]
Category: Cats (2019), Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Prohibition Era, First Meetings, M/M, Master Thief Mungojerrie, Mob Boss Macavity, Morally Ambiguous Character, Mungojerrie is a little shit, No beta we die like Grizabella, Organized Crime, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29092596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Need_To_Comment_Rising/pseuds/Need_To_Comment_Rising
Summary: Macavity is having a bad day and decides to go to his speakeasy for a drink. It is just his luck that a certain calico cat is also there. Will he come out of the encounter with his heart (and his wallet) intact?
Relationships: Macavity/Mungojerrie (Cats)
Series: Mafia AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134467
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	Here to steal your heart (and maybe some other things too)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [felinefearlessfaithful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/felinefearlessfaithful/gifts).



> So this is set in the same universe as my other Mungocavity story, 'A little Chaos never killed anyone', but they are completely independent. If you've read that one, this is set years before.

The first time Macavity meets Mungojerrie, he is nursing a drink at the bar of one of his speakeasies. He doesn’t do it often, preferring to keep away from his employees unless he’s giving orders ("fucking impossible to make likeable" Tugger often grumbles), but he is having a bad day, and he thought the live music and the bustle of people may lift his dark mood. For the moment, though, it isn’t working. He is seriously considering taking his glass and disappearing back to his office, music be damned, when he feels someone plop down on the stool beside him.

"Hey there, handsome", he hears a cheerful voice say, and he looks up in surprise. A calico cat is sitting there, looking at him with a disarming grin. He blinks, unsettled. He’s not used to be complimented. He isn’t vain: he knows that all the handsome genes in the family went to Tugger (and Munkustrap, but he prefers not to dwell on that), and that his multiple scars haven’t helped his case. But the calico doesn’t seem deterred by his appearance, smiling widely at him.

When it becomes clear that he isn’t going to answer, the tom simply tilts his head and asks brightly: "What is a charming fellow such as you doing alone in a night like this? It’s such a shame" he tuts, shaking his head. "We have to remedy that. Let me buy a drink." He leans forward, beckoning the bartender closer without waiting for a response, clearly aiming for roguish and suave. All chances of it working, though, crumble when he rests his elbow on a puddle of something Macavity doesn’t want to look at too closely, and slips. He flails wildly for a moment, trying to not fall from his stool and succeeding only by grabbing at the crime boss’ lapels. Macavity, to his own surprise, finds himself chuckling lightly, his bad mood lifting as he gently unhooks the tom’s claws from his suit and helps him up. The calico sends him a sheepish smile as he rights himself.

"Careful there", says Macavity with a smirk, "let’s avoid breaking any limbs if we can help it, huh?" And then, following an impulse that would have left his brother gaping, he lifts his glass and adds "It’s whiskey, actually. If you were serious about buying me something." He lifts an eyebrow in challenge, and feels strangely pleased when the other cat nods and orders for both of them. He’s encouraging him to spending, he rationalizes. He asks the waitresses to do it all the time. It’s a perfectly good marketing decision, he tells himself. And if it has anything to do with the appreciative smile the calico gave him when he called him handsome… well, nobody needs to know.

Time passes easily after that. A couple of hours later, they are both more than a few glasses in (the good stuff, too; Macavity was a bit surprised when the other cat brought out a decently full wallet and payed up front) and he is having more fun than he ever expected to. The calico has proved to be a great conversationalist, moving from one subject on another with ease, filling any potentially awkward silences with mindless chatter that somehow manages to be engaging. He talks with his paws, Macavity notices. He has nice paws, nimble and smooth. When he goes though the conversation in detail, later that night, he will realize that for all he’s talked, the other cat hasn’t given any personal information at all: no name, no job, nothing that could get him tracked down. But at the moment he is far from any of those concerns. If the thought passes fleetingly, it is mostly to think that it is kind of nice not having to volonteer any information of his own. There aren’t a lot of things that kill the mood as fast as going "yeah, this joint is actually mine. As are more than half speakeasies in this town. Oh, and I had a rival mob boss killed this morning, he was getting cocky and encroaching on my territory." Most people don’t take it well. So he relaxes back and just lets himself enjoy the anonymity for a while.

He is gearing up to ask the other cat whether he wants to go back to his office (the alcohol they are drinking is good, for bootleg, but Macavity has some actual Scottish whiskey in his office that he might be willing to share), when his companion looks at his watch, starts and swears colourfully. "Oh shit, look at the time! I was supposed to leave half an hour ago, Teazer is going to kill me!" He gets up, hesitating a second as he looks at Macavity still sitting on his stool. "I had a great time. Eternally grateful for your company, I hope we will meet again. Goodbye, handsome." he adds, tipping his hat at the black cat and going away at a harried pace.

Macavity watches him leave, bemused. What a funny fellow. He certainly hopes they will meet again, he wouldn’t object to another evening with him. There is something bugging him, though. Something at the back of his mind, telling him something isn’t right. He dismisses it quickly. He’s in his own speakeasy, surrounded by his henchats, in a part of town where every single policeman is in his pocket. Nobody would dare to make a move against him while he’s here. He moves to stand, feeling light and relaxed. He might have to come out more often, if this is the effect it has on him. He throws his coat back on, and reaches up to reajust his sempitern hat. And that’s when it hits him. This is what was bugging him. Instead of touching the rim of his faithful hat, the one he hasn’t gone in public without since he was a teenager, his paws grasp air. He is suddenly painfully aware of the breeze on his ears, and the shadow that _isn’t_ covering his eyes. He swears so loudly that all the nearby patrons turn to see what’s going on.

"That little shit! He stole my hat!"

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case you are wondering, yes, Macavity is going to be even less pleased when he realizes Mungojerrie has _also_ stolen his wallet. That's what you get when you let charming master thieves drape themselves all over you, Mac. You are a crime boss, you should know better.
> 
> As usual, kudos make my day, and comments make my week! ^^
> 
> If you want to talk about Cats or just see more information about the random headcanons I have for this and other AUs of mine, come say hi on tumblr, I'm [is-it-mungojerry-or-rumpelteazer](https://is-it-mungojerry-or-rumpelteazer.tumblr.com/)!


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